The Great 2012 Doomsday Scare

[Oniya]

It's very unlikely that people that didn't wear pants predicted the end of the world.

I'm just saying.

All cultures have their own descriptions of the end times, from the Egyptians (Apophis devouring the sun) to the Norse (Ragnarok, when Fenris breaks his bonds and the Midgard Serpent devours Thor), to the Christians (Revelations).

The wearing of pants is completely irrelevant.

[Lux12]

I don't see how.

Pants do not necessarily equal advanced civilization.The Egyptians, the Romans, and the ancient Greeks didn't wear pants either.So I would challenge someone to explain why pants would make any one culture more qualified to predict the end of the world than any other.

Also the Mayans were able to provide very accurately measure the movement of the stars with nothing more than a pole and a string.

[Jag]

Pants do not necessarily equal advanced civilization.The Egyptians, the Romans, and the ancient Greeks didn't wear pants either.So I would challenge someone to explain why pants would make any one culture more qualified to predict the end of the world than any other?

Of course the pants are irrelevant, but I do not think Casimir's comment was meant to be 100% serious (he can correct me if I'm wrong). If he did mean it to be serious, then oh well. I really don't think it was culturally insensitive. I gave up on labeling things between politically sensitive and insensitive a long time ago. To me it only matters if the person saying it was serious or not. Not to say there aren't subjects that I do not approve of, but pants really don't make me think of cultural sensitivities. That might just be me though. I don't debate. So that's really all I have to say on the matter.

[Casimir]

Of course it was a joke. A good one at that, I thought at the time.

I'm Greek. Even if I were not inclined to obtain a proper grasp of archeometry, our educational system insists on ancient history. I can assure you that albeit their breakthroughs were revolutionary, there were no secrets or 'mystical' knowledge in the hands of our ancestors, that we do not today possess and/or surpass.

It's elementary, my dear Watson. It's a simple fact that pants (other than a hilarious word) are a symbol of post 1800s globalization. They can relatively accurately be recognized as a trait of "modern man".

Putting all that together:

I was merely saying, it's ridiculous to think that people struggling to survive the elements did what we cannot; that they predicted the end of the world with the accuracy of the very day.

[TheGlyphstone]

The Scottish aren't modern men? I guess that explains bagpipes and haggis. ;D

[Casimir]

Ah! But you see, pants are modern, but modernity is not... erm... er.... pantsness....

[Callie Del Noire]

The Scottish aren't modern men? I guess that explains bagpipes and haggis. ;D

eh.. excuse me? That's mee heritage ye be a besmirchin boy! Don't make me hit ya wit a caper!

[Lux12]

Of course it was a joke. A good one at that, I thought at the time.

I'm Greek. Even if I were not inclined to obtain a proper grasp of archeometry, our educational system insists on ancient history. I can assure you that albeit their breakthroughs were revolutionary, there were no secrets or 'mystical' knowledge in the hands of our ancestors, that we do not today possess and/or surpass.

Putting all that together:

I was merely saying, it's ridiculous to think that people struggling to survive the elements did what we cannot; that they predicted the end of the world with the accuracy of the very day.

I would beg to differ. As we move forward in our own lives are there not things which we forget?Things that might be profound or of great importance?History is very much the same.The ancients knew some stuff that took us centuries to rediscover. They veiled some of it in coded messages or had written it in human tongues we can no longer translate.It would not surprise me if they knew much about somethings that we do not for their way of life was different.

Also, sarcasm does not read well over the net all the time.

[Rogue]

Unless you do... [sarcastically] insert text her [end sarcasm] I think that reads clearly enough for the net.

[Casimir]

I would beg to differ. As we move forward in our own lives are there not things which we forget?Things that might be profound or of great importance?History is very much the same.The ancients knew some stuff that took us centuries to rediscover. They veiled some of it in coded messages or written in human tongues we can no longer translate.It would surprise me if they knew much about somethings that we do not for their way of life was different.

Also, sarcasm does not read well over the net all the time.

I did not mean to offend, I only meant to entertain you.

I am stating that regardless of the wondrous qualities of forgotten knowledge, there are finite things that we know of the past; of the things we think we know, of the reconstructed image we have of Ancient times, there is nothing suggesting that they possessed such a technique. Ergo, you, as a modern pantsful man, your only link to the past being this finite knowledge base, you have been given no reason to believe that the world will expire at that specific date.

Everything is possible of course, but still, it's highly improbable.

[TheGlyphstone]

eh.. excuse me? That's mee heritage ye be a besmirchin boy! Don't make me hit ya wit a caper!

Don't you mean a caber? I'm sure you Scots could invent something vile with a pepper - probably involving sheep spleens or somethings - but the tree trunk's a lot more threatening on the spot.

[Mithlomwen]

The Scottish aren't modern men? I guess that explains bagpipes and haggis. ;D

Kilts!! 

*squeeeeeeee* 

/hijack

[Avis habilis]

So the trumps of doom are actually bagpipes?

[Mithlomwen]

Also, sarcasm does not read well over the net all the time.

And.....sometimes it does.  I knew he was kidding and it made me chuckle.  ;D 

So the trumps of doom are actually bagpipes?

I um.....I'm really not having a problem with this....

>_> 

[TheGlyphstone]

Listening to them for too long makes me wish for the end of the world, does that count?

[Callie Del Noire]

Don't you mean a caber? I'm sure you Scots could invent something vile with a pepper - probably involving sheep spleens or somethings - but the tree trunk's a lot more threatening on the spot.

Damn iPad autocorrect !!

[Stattick]

It's very unlikely that people that didn't wear pants predicted the end of the world.

I'm just saying.

Thinks the Gods of Heavy Metal will one day tire of this world, and after the final battle, will split this world in twain with a howling, black, soul-devouring great axe.

[Avis habilis]

'S true. Kilted men don't predict the end of the world. They cause it!

[Mithlomwen]

'S true. Kilted men don't predict the end of the world. They cause it!

* Mithlomwen is still not seeing a problem with this.....

>_> 

*coughs and carefully sets the topic back on track* 

[Moraline]

Just for fun.... Men in skirts/robes (notice a lack of pants.)    History of Science ~ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_science



Mathematics ~ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_mathematics

The most ancient mathematical texts available are Plimpton 322 (Babylonian mathematics c. 1900 BC),[2] the Rhind Mathematical Papyrus (Egyptian mathematics c. 2000-1800 BC)[3] and the Moscow Mathematical Papyrus (Egyptian mathematics c. 1890 BC). All of these texts concern the so-called Pythagorean theorem,...

Astronomy ~ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astronomy#History

In the 3rd century BC, Aristarchus of Samos calculated the size of the Earth, and measured the size and distance of the Moon and Sun, and was the first to propose a heliocentric model of the solar system.

Maya ~ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_civilization

The Maya is a Mesoamerican civilization, noted for the only known fully developed written language of the pre-Columbian Americas, as well as for its art, architecture, and mathematical and astronomical systems. Initially established during the Pre-Classic period (c. 2000 BC to AD 250), according to the Mesoamerican chronology, many Maya cities reached their highest state of development during the Classic period (c. AD 250 to 900), and continued throughout the Post-Classic period until the arrival of the Spanish.

... Just saying men in skirts did some pretty amazing things many centuries before our backwards, pants wearing, society decided to catch up.

If it wasn't for the Pope and his cronies squashing many modern advances we would have been 100's if not a 1000 years ahead of where we are right now.


*edit*
... Interesting side note... Seems pants have been around as long as the Mayans and everyone else... Some how, I don't think pants have any direct relation to intelligent or modern ideas.
~ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trousers#History

Trousers first enter recorded history in the 6th century BCE, with the appearance of horse-riding Iranian peoples in Greek ethnography. At this time, not only the Persians, but also allied Eastern and Central Asian peoples such as the Bactrians, Armenians, Tigraxauda Scythians and Xiongnu Hunnu, are known to have worn them.[3][4] Trousers are believed to have been worn by both sexes among these early users

[LunarSage]

"I find your lack of pants disturbing, Admiral"...

[Moraline]

... back on track


Scope/intensity grid from Bostrom's paper "The Concept of Existential Risk".


~

Make of this what you will.. I just found it an interesting read.

From the same link...

Chances of an existential catastrophe

Some risks, such as that from asteroid impact, with a one-in-a-million chance of causing humankind extinction in the next century,[5] have had their probabilities predicted with considerable accuracy (though later research suggested the actual rate of large impacts could be much higher than predicted).[6] Similarly, the frequency of volcanic eruptions of sufficient magnitude to cause catastrophic climate change, similar to the Toba Eruption, which almost caused the extinction of the human race,[7] has been estimated at about 1 in every 50,000 years.[8] However, the relative danger posed by other threats is much more difficult to calculate. Though experts at the Global Catastrophic Risk Conference suggested a 19% chance of human extinction over the next century, there was considerable disagreement about the relative prominence of any particular risk.[9]

...

[TheGlyphstone]

Damn iPad autocorrect !!

I guess your iPad shares my opinion of Scottish cuisine.

[Callie Del Noire]

I guess your iPad shares my opinion of Scottish cuisine.

Yeah yeah.. damn intolerant girly namby pamby english. Siri canna even translate a proper Glaswegian accent

[Oniya]

Did you just use 'translate' and 'Glaswegian' in the same sentence?  You know that's like the Philosopher's Stone of linguistics, right?  O_o